Editors

Have you sought out your editor for advice?

I wasn't getting a lot of feedback early, but I started sitting over my editor's shoulder (when possible) while he edited my story. We talk about specific changes, broader concepts about angles and leads and basically critique my writing.

He didn't do it until I sat there and said "hey, let's talk, but I've gotten tons of good information out of it and think I've grown as a writer.

I also ask whoever reads my story first how it read. I'm sure they get fead up with it, but my reasoning is hey, how else am I going to know?

It takes a little time out of your day and a little effort chasing them down some nights, but it's well worth it.

 

Get in their damned faces and tell em to do their fuckin jobs, which is to help you get better. Yes telling off a boss will get you fired most of the time, but in this case it has worked for me. Guilt works.

 

No, write-brained, my job is not to help you get better. My job is to put out the best product I can every day.
To make sure I do that, I will kick a story back to a writer. I will discuss with that writer what I think is lacking or needs to be added. I will even suggest in some non-deadline cases that he/she go back and try a totally diferent tack on a story because his way just doesn't work.

If, as write-brained suggests, you get in my face and tell ME to do ny fucking job, you are in a world of major fucking shit.

 

where I work — never.

 

Pardon me, I didn't know you were Mindless' editor. Why don't you return his calls? Or write once in a while?

 

Is that address to me?

 

Yup.

 

I'd be doubly curious.

I think every editor I've had, past to present, would claim to have been approachable and pro-active. Let's just say there are two sides to every issue.

BUT, I'm also fairly convinced there are aspects to an editor's job to which writers can be largely ignorant on, and I'm perfectly comfortable to placing myself in this group.

So who knows?

 

I'm not condoning talking shit to every editor who's having a bad day. I'm talking about the fuckers who throw you overboard without a raft ... if you don't fit into the category, spnited, than take a nitro ... I had one who would only communicate by email ... cc'ing everything to the damn M.E. ... don't think I called him out on that and cc'ed it to the M.E.? I had to put up with a lot weird shit at a former paper but it's not because I didn't stick up for myself. Luckily, I'm at a place now where they've never heard a peep from me because they do their job.

 

And THAT'S what I don't understand.

Getting a story kicked back? Being told what needs changing?

How can any writer who truly wants to get better NOT appreciate that?

Speaking as a writer: One thing our profession could use is a whole lot less ego and a whole lot more willingness to be hard on oneself once in a while.

An editor's criticism shouldn't hurt, because if you're committed to improving your craft, you should be your own worst critic.

 

Kaylee, I was responding to the fact that Mindless' editor doesn't do any of that.

 

I know. I was building more on what spnited said.